Brainerd, MN

In an average winter in Minnesota, we go through only two to three days in a row that is 20 below or lower. Well, we are in for a long haul as another clipper is on the way. The cold claimed the life of one sleepwalker and some frozen digits on another. This winter is extremely dangerous. In watching the evening news I saw people without coats, hats or mittens on the sidewalks of Minneapolis with today at 50 below with windchill.

THIS IS NO TIME FOR FOOLISHNESS.

We go for the layers and put up with the 20 pounds heavier look. Warm boots that are easy to get on and off are great, as hopping around on one foot becomes more difficult with all that bulk. Scarfs add color and fashionability as well as extra warmth.

photo by tomsaint11

Kathleen Lordbock

REALTOR/Staging Specialist

Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes

218-829-0399

Serious about selling?

~Call the staging & selling team~

Our current Miss Brainerd Lakes, Emily Wyman, our pageant director,Vickie Randall and I left early in tne morning for St. Paul and the Miss Minnesota gown viewing & her send off for Miss America. On the way we ate breakfast at the Clearwater Truck Plaza and it was excellent. I had a Denver omelet and they went for the Fritter bread made into French Toast and eggs. Wow, huge portions nicely presented and delicious. They had wild rice sausages, which were unusual and very tasty. My personal favorite is the Artisian white bread toasted.

After food and coffee, we were ready for the Director's meeting and the the gown showing. Angela looked really good and has been working out with Kim Remington, a trainer. The results were a toned body with muscle definition but not bulk. The showing was actually all her on-stage wear for the pageant and included her talent outfit, interview outfits, swim suit, ramp gown, evening gown and Parade of the States outfit.

After some power shopping at the Mall of America, a late supper at the Rainforest Cafe and the drive home in the ice and snow storm - I was tired. I made it to bed shortly after 2 AM and was up for Sunday School and Church. A good time was had by all, we need to catch up on our rest and get ready for a big week.

The Miss America pageant is on January 24 on TLC.

Our current Miss America

Homes are selling but they are not selling for as high a price nor are they selling as quickly. Does that sound familiar in your area?

As a Keller Williams REALTOR/Staging Specialist, I know at least a partial solution to the problem. In order for your home to sell better and faster than those of the competitions' it needs to be properly presented and be priced competitively, from the start. A home that shows well both outside and inside is going to get offers. When prospective buyers make an emotional connection with the home - they want it! Home staging is more than cleaning and decluttering (although a lot of MLS photos are also missing that element). Color, traffic flow, highlighting focal elements, curb appeal, up grades that pay back - use my expertise to get your property sold.

Let us work with you as a team player to change the statistics and make 2009 a more productive year.

Serious about selling - contact the staging and selling team.

Kathleen Lordbock

Keller William Realty Brainerd Lakes

218-829-4664 office

resaledesign@gmail.com

One recent cold and snowy winter day, I drove to Willmar, Minnesota and took my State and National licensing exams. After studying for several weeks, I was ecstatic to not only pass but get 100% on the National portion. Now I have finally signed on with Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes. To all those agencies I did not choose, thank you for your time and kindness. You made the decision very difficult and I did not make this choice without considerable thought. In the end I went with what seemed to be the best fit for my staging business and my agent status.

My staging company will still continue to work with all agents and home sellers regardless of their affiliations. Perhaps you will sell some of my listings, as my plan is to have them properly prepared for the market and showing well.

To all sellers and buyers in the Brainerd Lakes area, you already know my standing in the home staging industry. Now you can benefit from my expertise all the way to closing. With a background in construction and design, I can help you visualize the potential in any property.

In this difficult market- you need a competitive edge.

Hire the staging and selling team.

Kathleen Lordbock

218-829-4664 Office

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This is the last in the series of interesting quotes to start out your New Year with some wit.

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
-Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)



Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan (1986)



I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

-Will Rogers



If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!
-P.J. O'Rourke



In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-Voltaire (1764)



Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)




No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session..
-Mark Twain (1866 )


Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-Unknown